The Disappearance
by thegirlwiththetrident
Summary: This is a story about when Percy goes missing, set just before the Lost Hero. Annabeth can hardly wait to go back to camp and spend sometime with her Seaweed Brain. But when her boyfriend goes missing, and there's no trace of where he went, will Annabeth be able to cope? Find out now! Percabeth features! Rick Riordan owns all characters etc! (Pic: Burdge bug)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, this is another shorter story, as I'm still working on my HoO fanfic!  
It's about the day after Percy disappears, how Annabeth copes etc...  
Hope you enjoy it, and please review so I know what you guys think!  
~thegirlwiththetrident  
**

The Disappearance

Chapter one

Annabeth sighed contently as she stared out of her Dad's car window. In the distance, she could see Half-Blood Hill and the sight always made her feel happy, but today especially.  
She had come early for winter break this year and so far, the day had been, well, great.  
Her dad had been in town on work and had volunteered to drive her to camp. He seemed quite happy and they had had a good time going out for lunch before driving here.  
Lately, Annabeth had noticed, her dad seemed to care more about her and her life, and although Annabeth was used to being on her own, she couldn't deny that it made a nice change.  
"So, Annabeth..." her Dad suddenly said, clearing his throat.  
"Yes?" she asked, wondering why he suddenly looked so uncomfortable.  
"I've been wanting to ask you. Is there, er, is there any particular reason you wanted to come to Camp earlier this year? I mean..." he seemed to search for the right words. "Is there, um, someone you want to meet here? Like a boy?"  
Annabeth stared at her dad. She couldn't believe he had really asked her this. Normally, Annabeth's love life was the very last topic she and her dad would be likely to discuss. She felt herself going red, as in fact her dad had been completely right. There _was _someone she wanted to see, and why she had wanted to come earlier. A very special someone. But why did her dad want to know?  
Suddenly, she realised she hadn't answered his question yet and he was looking at her, somewhat expectantly, somewhat uncomfortably.  
"Dad!" she said, still thinking of what to say. "You know I like coming to camp." It wasn't really an answer and her dad noticed this right away. She might as well just have told him the truth.  
"So, that's a yes isn't it?" he said. Annabeth stared ahead, her cheeks heating up.  
"Is it that, whatshisname, that boy who came looking for you, when you" he broke off, obviously not wanting to think of that time.  
"Percy, Dad." Annabeth said and her thoughts strayed. Percy. She'd be seeing him so soon and she couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous about it. Even though they'd been going out for several weeks now, sometimes she felt like it was still right at the beginning of their relationship.  
He was just so unpredictable, but also so sweet. Annabeth even thought he'd been less of a Seaweed Brain lately, as if he was trying extra hard, for her. That was cute, but secretly Annabeth didn't mind Percy's stupidity, every now and then. It was nice to feel like he needed her to explain things.  
She'd never admit that of course.  
"Yeah, that's the one. So.. are you two going out?" her Dad asked.  
Which made Annabeth realise she hadn't told her dad yet. Oops.  
"Er, yeah, we are." she said, blushing. Her dad smiled at her, which surprised her.  
"Well, I'm glad you found someone descent." he told her, coughing slightly. Then his expression got stern. "But if he ever hurts you, tell him I know enough about weapons and even that Celestial bronze stuff..." "Dad!" Annabeth shouted, half laughing, half worried at the sincere expression on her dad's face. But she also felt nice that her dad was taking this interest in her.  
"Don't worry" she told him "Percy wouldn't do anything to hurt me"  
She knew it was true, he'd proven that often enough. Contently, she remembered their underwater kiss and the faces of the other campers who'd thrown them in the lake. It had taken them several minutes to realise that Percy could breathe underwater, and they'd started debating whether or not to send in a rescue team.  
Just then, her dad stopped the car and Annabeth looked outside to see they were parked at the base of Half-Blood Hill, the golden fleece gleaming in the distance. Annabeth's heart sped up.  
On top of the hill, next to Thalia's tree, she could see a boy standing, and she could just make out his dark hair and the smile on his face. Seaweed Brain.  
She turned to say goodbye to her father, and they hugged, which was a bit awkward like usual, but still sincere. "Bye dad, have a good trip back!" she told him, smiling.  
"You take care of yourself, okay?" he asked and she nodded. Then, she opened the door and got out, as her dad got her bag out of the back. She waved as he turned the car around and sped off, blinking his lights twice as a goodbye.  
Then, with a grin on her face, Annabeth turned around and started up the hill, her eyes fixed on the boy waiting for her at the top.  
"Hey, wise girl" Percy said, smiling that cheeky smile he had. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but then threw her arms around him on an impulse. "Whoa, miss me much?" Percy laughed.  
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain" she said and kissed him.  
Percy picked up her bag, which Annabeth only allowed because the gesture was so sweet, and then put one arm around Annabeth's shoulders. Together, they made their way downhill towards the cabins, talking all the while, and both of them happy to be spending the next few weeks with each other.

That night, at the camp fire, Annabeth couldn't quite believe how good her day had been.  
The time she'd spent with her dad and then with Percy at camp had been amazing. Percy and she had gone down to the ocean for a picnic, and as it was quite cold, they had cuddled up on a blanket, a normal sandwich for her and a blue slice of pizza for him.  
Then later they'd practised on the climbing wall and Annabeth had beaten Percy by a few seconds, which had made her smug. She'd only teased him a little bit though.  
Now, they were sitting side by side at the fire, along with the very few other campers who had come early. Percy had his arm around Annabeth once again, and she sighed happily at his warmth.  
Sometimes she couldn't really believe the way she felt around and about him, as if their relationship had changed her. She guessed it had, and she wasn't quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing, yet.  
But right now, that didn't matter. All Annabeth cared about right now was the happy feeling she had, and that, she was certain, was going to last her a long time.  
After another hour or so, they got up to go to bed and after bringing her to her cabin (carefully avoiding the prying eyes of Michael, Annabeth's over-protective half-brother) Percy gave her a goodnight kiss and said "Sleep well, wise girl. See you tomorrow."  
Annabeth smiled and said "Don't let the water beetles bite." Percy stuck his tongue out at her, turned around and went back to his cabin.  
Seeing him walk away like that made Annabeth suddenly feel a little worried. What if, one day, she'd see him walk away like this and he never came back? But no, she told herself, shaking her head. That's stupid. Percy'll always come back to you, you know that. And with that comforting thought, Annabeth went inside her cabin and closed the door firmly behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya!  
I know I only just wrote chapter one but I feel like writing another chapter, so here goes :) It'S a bit long, haha  
please review! (Oh, and it says I have two review but I can only see one :( )  
~thegirlwiththetrident**

Chapter two 

The next morning dawned, bright and sunny.  
Annabeth turned around in bed, trying to block out the sun so she could get a few minutes more sleep.  
But, already, her fellow Athena campers were starting to get up and talk – loudly.  
"Urgh" she grumbled and opened her eyes.  
After getting dressed and brushing her teeth and her, Annabeth went outside. It was sunny, but a bit cold, so she decided to warm up by doing some pegasi flying.  
As she walked over to the stables, one of the new Demeter kids, Lilly, ran over to her. Lilly was one of the youngest campers here, only eight years old.  
They had found her near New Jersey, cornered by two monsters at once. Annabeth had no idea how she had managed to survive before that.  
"Hey, Annabeth" Lilly smiled and Annabeth smiled back. Seeing Lilly reminded her of her  
own arrival here at camp, when she'd been only seven years old.  
"Hey Lilly. What're you up to today?"  
The girl laughed and showed her the box full of sunflower seeds she was carrying. "I'm going to plant these near the forest!" she said, a bright gleam in her eyes. She was definitely a Demeter child.  
"That's nice" Annabeth said and smiled at her. Lilly grinned back and ran off, her long hazel hair dancing behind her.  
After Annabeth had finished her riding practise, she decided to go see if Percy was already awake.  
He wasn't anywhere at breakfast, or in the arena or at the cabins, and his cabin door was still closed.  
How can he sleep so long? Annabeth wondered, incredulously.  
There were a few things she didn't get about her boyfriend, like where he put all that food he ate and why he got a glazed look in his eyes whenever she started talking about architecture.  
How he managed to sleep so much was another one of those things.  
Wanting to surprise him, Annabeth quietly opened to door to the Poseidon cabin.  
It was completely quiet inside, Percy wasn't even snoring. She sneaked over to his bunk and was just about to throw herself on top of him, when she noticed that the bed was empty.  
Huh. That explained the no snoring thing.  
It was odd though, if Percy was awake, why hadn't she seen him anywhere?  
Maybe he'd gone to breakfast after she'd looked there for him. Ah well, she'd see him in a bit.  
Walking back outside, Annabeth thought about the next few weeks.  
There were barely any other campers here at the moment, which meant she had Percy to her own, for a whole two weeks at least.  
The prospect made her happy, but it also scared her a bit. What if, in those two weeks, they didn't get along? They disagreed often enough as it was.  
Stop! She told herself, firmly. You're making problems where there aren't any, and that's not exactly wise, is it?  
Think of all the time you'll be spending alone with him...A shiver ran down Annabeth's spine.  
She decided she wanted to see Percy now, just to get rid of her odd mood. She always felt better when he was around.  
But another trip to the dining area revealed that Percy wasn't there. Neither was he at the amphitheatre, the strawberry fields, the stables or the arena.  
Had he gone down to the ocean, for a bit of swimming? But no, he wasn't even there.  
Starting to get slightly worried, Annabeth asked the few people around if they had seen him. No one had, but Lilly (who was getting bored with her sunflowers) and Michael agreed to help her look for him.  
They searched the forest (which scared Lilly quite a bit) and asked the wood nymphs who said the only thing they'd seen that day had been a very confused chicken, wondering around the woods.  
Lilly was all for forgetting Percy and go looking for the chicken, but Annabeth told her no. She really was starting to get worried about her boyfriend. Knowing Percy, it wasn't very improbable that he'd gotten himself into some sort of trouble, probably involving a couple of monsters and maybe an angry god or two.  
They continued their search, but Percy was no where to be seen.  
Finally, deciding to ask Chiron if he had seen him, Annabeth thanked the other two and made her way to the Big House.  
"Don't worry, sis" Michael said, who didn't seem too upset about Percy's disappearance, funnily enough. "He'll turn up eventually."  
Somehow this didn't convince Annabeth but she smiled nevertheless and walked off.  
Chiron was sitting on the veranda, in his wheelchair form.  
"Hello, Annabeth" he smiled at her kindly. "Is everything all right?"  
Her worry must have been showing on her face.  
"I can't find Percy" she told the centaur, whose face became serious. Like Annabeth, Chiron knew of Percy's talent for getting himself into trouble.  
"Have you checked everywhere? His cabin? The beach? The forest?"  
Annabeth nodded and Chiron didn't look happy.  
"Well, " he said "At least we know Mr D hasn't got anything to do with it, as he's currently on Olympus. "  
Somehow, even though it was good news Dionysus hadn't turned her boyfriend into a dolphin, Annabeth couldn't help but feel anxious. That had been her last guess as to where Percy could be.  
"You didn't see him go inside the house then?" she asked Chiron, who shook his head.  
"No. I've been out here for a few hours, and I haven't seen anyone. You can check, of course."  
Although she had a feeling it wouldn't be worth it, Annabeth checked all the rooms in the Big House anyway. She even checked the attic, where the oracle used to be. And that's when she realised where she hadn't checked yet.  
"I've got an idea where he might be" she told Chiron, who noticed the tiny little scowl on her face.  
"Ah." his eyes gleamed knowingly. "I see you haven't checked our new oracle's place yet?"  
Tightly, Annabeth shook her head.  
She knew she had no reason to be jealous of Rachel Elizabeth Dare anymore, but, well, old habits die hard. Especially if she'd spent all morning looking for Percy and he was with Rachel.  
Still, to make sure he really was there, Annabeth made her way to Rachel's cavern and called:  
"Rachel? Percy?"  
There was no answer for a few minutes until Rachel appeared, her hair a mess and a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. "Humh?" she said, looking at Annabeth quizzically.  
"Er, Rachel?" Annabeth asked "Percy doesn't happen to be in there with you does he?"  
Still looking confused, Rachel shook her head. "Ishn't he wish you?" she asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.  
"No" Annabeth said and added "I've been looking for him all morning. If you do see him, tell him to get his lazy backside down to the cabins, okay?" Rachel nodded and went back inside, leaving a little trail of toothpaste behind her.  
Now Annabeth was at a loss. Where had Percy gone? Could he have left camp? Annabeth was almost sure he hadn't, and if he had, he would have told her, right?  
He would have at least sent a message, or something. Maybe something had happened with his Mom and he didn't have time to notify her...  
Back at her cabin, Annabeth dug out a golden drachma and, making a rainbow, threw it in, asking the goddess to accept her offering. "Percy Jackson, please."  
The image shimmered, but Percy didn't appear.  
Instead, it went blank white and disappeared!  
Annabeth was at a loss. Never, in her whole life, had an Iris message failed!  
The only time she'd heard of this happening, was when the person in question had died, but that wasn't the case now. Or was it?  
Suddenly, she really started to panic. Had Percy been attacked by a monster in the forest, or kidnapped by some new, horrible force?  
Before she started hyperventilating, Annabeth tried to catch herself. "Come on, you idiot." she told herself. "Don't go all drama queen."  
She decided she needed Butch, who was, after all, a son of the rainbow goddess.  
But as it turned out, Butch had as much of a clue as she had, as to why the IM wasn't working.  
"Maybe my mum's not there?" he said, not sounding convinced. "Sorry, I don't know."  
"That okay, Butch. Sorry to have disturbed you."  
But by now, the rest of the campers had gotten wind of Percy missing as well. There were some who looked genuinely worried and others, like the Ares cabin, who muttered that Jackson had probably started some major fight somewhere again.  
Annabeth didn't want to hear any of it, and went back to Chiron, telling him all about the IM.  
The centaur also seemed at a loss, but told Annabeth to wait until the next morning.  
"Maybe he has gone to his mother's and is simply not available at the moment." he said, and it wasn't evident that even he himself didn't believe it.  
"Yeah, maybe." Annabeth agreed. She didn't like it, but she knew waiting until tomorrow was probably the best thing to do. After all, missing heroes weren't really an uncommon thing around here. The only thing that Annabeth couldn't help but notice was that, once missing, many of the heroes didn't return.  
The rest of the day, Annabeth tried to distract herself by looking through Daedalus' laptop, which always had some sort of surprise in store for her. But even this didn't help, and in the end Annabeth lay on her bed, thinking about Percy. She was both worried and angry at Percy for being full of seaweed and not telling her where he had gone. _Maybe he couldn't tell you..._ an unwelcome voice said inside her mind, but she dismissed it. He'll come back, you'll see, she told herself. He always does. With that, Annabeth laid down and after a bit, drifted off into an uneasy sleep.  
And that was when she had the dream. 


	3. Chapter 3 (part one)

**I know I said this was going to be a short story, but it's a lot of fun to write, so we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.  
This chapter will be continued tomorrow, as I didn't have a lot of time today!  
Please, tell me what you think and review and thank you for the reviews I already have! I'm so glad you like it.  
~thegirlwiththetrident**

Chapter three (part 1)

_Annabeth was standing in front of a full length mirror, her reflection unfocused in the gloom.  
She looked terrible, her hair had gone grey and her eyes looked like matted silver. Even her skin had a greyish tinge about it.  
Where am I, she thought, a feeling of unease creeping up her back. "You're exactly where I want you to be" a voice, clear and cold, suddenly spoke out, ripping through the silence.  
And then, Annabeth's reflection started to change. She grew taller, and her hair got back some colour, but it was dark instead of blonde. Her eyes changed as well, and before she could quite grasp what was happening, a very familiar woman was standing in front of her.  
A very familiar, not very welcome goddess. Hera.  
But, Annabeth noticed, she wasn't entirely like the way she remembered her. Her face was fiercer, and there was an animal fur of some kind draped over her shoulders.  
Annabeth raised her hand, to touch the mirror, and as she did so, Hera raised her hand as well, mimicking Annabeth's movement.  
What's happening, Annabeth asked, not speaking out loud, but getting an answer straight away anyway.  
"I am here to show you the answer to your problem." Hera said, in that same clear and cold voice. _

_As the goddess moved her lips, Annabeth could feel her own moving as well, with out her meaning them to.  
When Hera continued, Annabeth tried to keep her mouth shut, but it was impossible.  
"Soon, you will find three demigods, whom you will need to save. They will be at the great hole.  
There, you will find the boy with one shoe, and he will be the answer to your problem."  
The answer to her problem? Annabeth thought. The boy with one shoe? Could that be Percy?!  
Please, Annabeth spoke inside her mind again. Please, explain what you mean. Is the boy with one shoe Percy? And what's the great hole?  
But Hera was already dissolving, and only said, in a faint voice, which was nevertheless cold,"Find the boy with one shoe, daughter of M-"  
"Wait!" Annabeth called out loud, cutting her off. Her voice tore through the air and the glass of the mirror shattered, its shards flying everywhere. One of them was flying directly towards her eyes.  
_With a yell, Annabeth woke up, rolling to the side to avoid the flying glass. She moved so fast, she flew out of bed and landed on the floor with a painful thump.  
Of course, there was no glass shard flying at her, it had been only a dream.  
But Annabeth had been living in the world of the gods long enough to know that dreams almost always meant something, especially one involving one of the gods. She got up, checked to see if she had woken any of her siblings (she hadn't) and then got back into bed, careful not to lie down on her aching hip.  
Why had Hera appeared to her, as Annabeth knew for a fact that the goddess did not like her, at all. And why was she trying to help Annabeth find Percy? It just didn't make any sense. Maybe it was a joke, or a trap. Yes, that seemed more like the kind of thing Hera would do, especially the cold and fierce Hera Annabeth had seen in her dream. She decided to put the dream to the back of her mind for the time being, as she still hoped Percy would be back today.  
Maybe he was at his cabin right now! Suddenly hopeful, Annabeth got dressed in record time and ran outside, over to the Poseidon cabin. She flung the door open, and there inside was,_ nothing_.  
Bitterly disappointed, Annabeth walked back out, slamming the door behind her and causing a shout of "Oi, could you keep it down out there?" from the inside of the Aphrodite cabin.

Her mood slipping, Annabeth did a check of the whole camp, again, just to make sure Percy hadn't strayed back in the night and, say, gone to sleep in the strawberry fields.  
But no, her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen.  
"Where are you?!" Annabeth shouted, frustrated and worried. Luckily no one was around to see her, otherwise they probably would've thought she'd gone crazy. And maybe they would be right.  
It just didn't add up: Percy's disappearance, her dream, the odd warning about the boy with one shoe, who would be the answer to her problem. That had to mean Percy, right?  
After all, the only possible solution to her problem was if Percy returned. That made sense.  
Still, why would Hera, of all gods, give her this tip? Unless she had kidnapped Percy in the first place just to make Annabeth angry and was now tired of her game. Mhm, maybe...  
In the meantime, Annabeth decided to tell Chiron about the dream.  
She found the centaur on the porch again, reading a book called "Basic Hero training tricks and how to teach them".  
He greeted her and she told him all about her vision, of what Hera had said and how odd she had looked. Chiron listened intently, and at the mention of Hera's new accessory, the animal fur, he paled, just a tiny bit.  
"What?" Annabeth asked, noticing his change in expression immediately.  
"Nothing, nothing" Chiron said, a little too hastily.  
"Look Chiron, if this vision means anything to you, if you have any idea of where Percy is-"  
"Annabeth" the centaur laughed and Annabeth noticed her voice had turned harsh. "Please, calm down. Your vision means nothing to me, and believe, I want to find Percy as well. As a matter of fact, I have a golden drachma hear that I want you to use to contact his mother. Maybe she knows of his whereabouts."  
He had changed the topic a little to quickly for Annabeth to be reassured he was being honest with her, but she took the drachma anyway.


	4. Chapter 3 (part two)

**Don't know what to think of this...Please review and tell me what you think.  
and I don't own anything**

Chapter three (part two)

This time, the IM went through instantly.  
Annabeth could see Percy's apartment, with Sally and Paul sitting together on the couch watching some kind of TV program.  
"Ms Jackson?" Annabeth asked, raising her voice above the sound of the telly. Percy's mother jumped, but when she saw the Iris message she smiled at Annabeth, turned the volume down and came over. Paul waved from the sofa.  
"Annabeth, dear! How nice of you to call. How are you? And_ please_ call me Sally"  
Annabeth loved Percy's mother. She was so nice, and warm and, well, just like a Mom should be. _And not a lot like mine. _Annabeth thought, but felt guilty almost instantly. Where had that come from?  
"Hello Sally." she tried to smile, but the worry was pressing on her too much. Percy's Mom noticed it at once and, with a frown on her face, said  
"Annabeth, is something wrong?"  
Annabeth couldn't say anything for a minute. How was she supposed to tell a mother her child was missing? She could see Percy wasn't with his mother, as there was no obvious emergency and Sally hadn't gone to fetch him, which Annabeth was sure she would have done, if Percy had been present.

"Sally, Percy's not with you, is he?" Although she knew the answer, Annabeth had to ask, had to act upon that last bit of hope.  
"No, he isn't" Sally answered, confirming Annabeth's thoughts and causing her hope to slip way, way down. "Why?"  
"I'm really sorry, Sally, but Percy is- he's gone. He's been missing since yesterday morning and we can't find him anywhere."  
The more Annabeth said, the more worried the expression on the face in front of her became.  
"But, he'll be all right, won't he? You have heroes go missing and then you find them, or they come back, don't they?" the hope in Sally Jackson's voice was painfully forced.  
Annabeth knew that Percy's mother knew just how dangerous a demigod's life was. And that not all heroes came back.  
"I promise to do whatever it takes to find him, Sally. We'll get him back. I promise." Annabeth's voice chocked up on that last word.  
The Iris message went out, but Annabeth could still see Sally Jackson's face, a pained expression on it as she probably imagined what had happened to her son.  
Slowly, Annabeth walked back outside. Chiron looked up at her, but she just shook her head.  
"We'll find him, Annabeth" Chiron said, and somehow the echo of her own words made Annabeth even more hopeless.  
What if they couldn't find him?  
What if her Seaweed Brain was lost, forever?  
Tears started to well up in Annabeth's eyes, and she started to run, past the fields and the cabins and down to the ocean.  
The fresh sea air stung her watery eyes, but she breathed in deeply.  
The salty tinge on the breeze reminded her of Percy, and she closed her eyes and thought of him with all her might, as if she could somehow summon him back to her like this.  
For a moment, she was absolutely convinced she'd see his sea green eyes when she opened hers, but when she did, there was nothing in front of her but the wide, bleak horizon.  
No Percy. Not anywhere.  
"Hey, Annabeth!" a voice behind her suddenly yelled. She turned around to see Butch, the hardcore pegasi-riding rainbow goddess son, jogging towards her.  
"We just got a call from one of our scouts. She said a colleague of hers found two half-bloods, older and apparently more powerful than most. Says they're a "special package""  
Butch was panting as he came to a halt, his brick face bright red.  
"We called her colleague, that mad satyr and told him we'd be picking them up tomorrow. He says they're going on an excursion to the Grand Canyon."  
He was looking at Annabeth, expectantly, as if this news should mean something to her.  
But Annabeth's mind was still too filled with worry and frustration to do anything but replay images of Percy, again and again.  
Obviously realising that she wasn't going to react to his words, Butch elaborated.  
"The _grand canyon, _Annabeth. A huge big hole. Doesn't that ring a bell?"  
And then, she understood what Butch was trying to tell her.  
There were going to be some powerful demigods at the Grand Canyon tomorrow. The Grand Canyon was a _great hole. _The place where she would find the answer to her problem, the boy with the one shoe.  
And Annabeth was going to make dam sure she found him.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, thanks so much for the reviews, here's the next chapter! I really hope you like it, please review and tell me what you think! This is basically the first chapter of TLH but from Annabeth's point of view. I don't own anything  
~thegirlwiththetrident  
**  
Chapter four:

They got ready early the next day, Will Solace allowing Annabeth and Butch to borrow the Apollo chariot.  
"Be careful with it though!" he said, eyeing Annabeth suspiciously.  
Annabeth was about to tell Will that it was normally _Percy _who trashed everything he laid his hands on and not her, but the thought of Percy was too painful.  
There was still no sight of him, and as the gods had gone silent (except, of course, for Annabeth's least favourite one), she couldn't expect any divine help from her mother or Poseidon, Percy's father, either.  
Annabeth sighed, as she grabbed her knife, baseball cap and shield.  
She glanced at the photo she had on her night stand, and had to suppress a sob. The picture showed her and Percy, standing in front of the canoe lake, just after they had been thrown into it by the other campers.  
Percy was standing behind Annabeth, his arms around her and a huge grin on his face. His sea green eyes gleamed and his black hair was as messy as always. She herself looked happier than ever, and Annabeth could remember perfectly how she had felt back then.  
Happy and triumphant and also slightly embarrassed.  
It had been the perfect moment.  
On a whim, Annabeth took the picture out of its frame and held it close.  
"I will find you." she whispered to the Seaweed Brain on the picture and then pocketed it.  
Back outside, a few of the campers had gathered to wish them good luck, and Chiron was there as well.  
"Annabeth" he said, quietly so no one could hear but her. "I know you hope to find Percy where you are going, but just remember that the words of a god, particularly this goddess, are never straight forward."  
It wasn't what Annabeth had wanted to hear before departing, and she answered in a low but sharp voice, which later she regretted.  
"I know that, Chiron. But Hera said I'll find the answer to my problem."  
Chiron simply nodded, his eyes worried.  
"Good luck" he said.  
Annabeth managed a small smile and then, together with Butch she got onto the chariot and they flew into the sky, leaving Camp far behind them.

It took them quite a long time to reach the Grand Canyon, and when they finally spotted it in the distance, Annabeth couldn't help but feel nervous.  
What if Chiron was right, and she wouldn't find Percy down there?

She didn't think she would be able to cope with that. He had to be there, he simply had to.  
There seemed to be a battle going on, but they were still to far away to help.  
Annabeth could make out three people, standing on the sky walk and some storm spirits flying off into the distance.  
Soon, they landed and Annabeth jumped off the chariot before it had even stopped moving. She ran towards the three teenagers, and felt a stab in her gut when she realised none of them had black hair and green eyes.  
There was one boy, tall and blond, who looked like the leader and I ran towards him while pulling out my knife.  
"Where is he?!" she yelled, full of anger.  
"Where's who?" the blonde one answered. Annabeth frowned at him and then asked.  
"What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"  
The other boy, who looked Hispanic, cleared his throat and said "He got taken by some...tornado things."  
"_Venti_" the blonde boy corrected him, surprising her. "Storm spirits."  
Annabeth arched and eyebrow "You mean _anemoi thuellai_? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"  
The boy, Jason he called himself, started to explain about how he'd woken up on a bus without any memories, coming here, a class mate of theirs turning into a monster (like that was something she'd never heard before) and then fighting the anemoi, falling into the canyon and flying back up and finally ending with Hedge taken captive and the chariot arriving. At some point Butch came over and crossed his arms, looking menacing despite his rainbow tattoo on his biceps.  
Jason's story sounded worrying but Annabeth couldn't focus on figuring it out right now.  
She could only think about the fact that Percy wasn't here and that Hera had tricked her once again.  
"No, no, no!" she yelled, unable to hold the anger inside any longer. "She _told _me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer." That horrible, disgusting, lying goddess! If Annabeth ever met her again, she would make her pay and if it resulted in her being vaporized. Annabeth didn't care.  
Then Butch said "Annabeth, check it out." and pointed at Jason's feet. Only one of them was shoe-clad. "The guy with one shoe. He's the answer"  
But Annabeth wasn't going to accept that. Did Hera really think she'd accept this, this _nobody _to be the answer of her problem? He didn't even know Percy, for Athena's sake!  
"No, Butch" she said, her breathing ragged. "He can't be. I was tricked."  
Again, by Hera. Annabeth thought acidly. She glared at the heavens and imagined the goddess listening to them right now.  
"What do you want from me?" she screamed, letting all her rage go. "What have you done with him?!"  
There was, of course, no answer but instead the sky walk shuddered dangerously. It wouldn't last long, Annabeth knew, but she was reluctant to go without figuring out where Percy had gone.  
"Annabeth" said Butch, trying to reason with her. "We gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."  
But Percy's not at camp, Annabeth thought, her anger turning into despair. What was the point of going there if Seaweed Brain wouldn't be waiting for her to come home?  
But she knew she couldn't let these strange demigods see her vulnerable. Putting on a snappy voice, she said "Fine" glared at Jason (who she disliked for the simple reason that he was the one with one show and not Percy) and then said "We'll settle this later"  
With that, she turned to the chariot and walked away, tears in her eyes, hearing the others mutter behind her.  
But she didn't care. She hadn't found Percy, or at least found out what had happened to him.  
Somewhere in her brain, in the rational part probably, a voice said that Jason would help her to figure it out, but right then she didn't want to hear that.  
What she wanted was her Seaweed Brain, but it didn't look like she'd be seeing him anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 5

**Another update today, yey! **

**This is only a very short chapter, but it shows some of Annabeth's thoughts.  
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be continuing this story, as I've got some others I want to work on. They'll definitely be a couple more chapters, probably some one shots on what Annabeth is trying to do to get Percy back, and how her feelings evolve. If you read this story and like it, _please review!__!_  
And I would also like to thank _musicalgirl4474_ for all her reviews! I really appreciate your support :)  
~thegirlwiththetrident**

Chapter five:

The rest of the day passed by with Annabeth only half paying attention.  
Sure, it was definitely exciting and Annabeth was starting to like Piper and maybe even the boys but still, nothing that happened could make her ignore the horrible ripping feeling inside her.  
When she finally got to bed that evening, she was dead tired but couldn't sleep.  
All she saw when she closed her eyes was Percy.  
Percy smiling, Percy holding her, Percy swimming in the canoe lake on a sunny morning, waving to her when he spotted her.  
She missed him so much, it felt like someone was stabbing her with her own knife, again and again straight into her heart.  
How was this even normal? It's not like she'd never been separated from her boyfriend for longer than 72 hours before.  
Sometimes, when she was busy redesigning Olympus, they had gone up to two weeks without seeing each other.  
But of course Annabeth knew why this was different.  
During the summer, when she hadn't seen Percy, she had known where he was, they had IMed each other, they had been able to contact the other whenever they felt like it.  
And now, Percy was gone.  
She didn't know where he was, or even if he was still alive.  
It was like that time a few years ago, when Percy had saved her life and nearly killed himself by making Mount St Helens erupt.  
After that, Percy had been missing for two weeks (marooned on Calypso's island, Annabeth remembered sourly) and all of them had assumed he was dead.  
When he'd come back, it had been one of the happiest moments of Annabeth's life.  
She'd sworn never to let something like that happen again.  
And now, he was gone, just like the last time.  
She knew some of the others thought he was dead. But she didn't.  
Percy had gone missing before, and he always seemed to manage to get himself out of a crisis.  
He was powerful, and sometimes he was smart.  
He couldn't be dead.  
He just couldn't.  
Because if he was, Annabeth didn't know how she was going to survive.


	7. Chapter 6

**Thank you soo much for all the reviews! Every time I read one it makes me so happy :)  
Well, this is, I'm sad to say, the second to last chapter of „The Disappearance". It's a time-skip/one-shot, and I hope you enjoy it! If you do, review! (rhyyme)  
I don't own anything.  
~thegirlwiththetrident**

Chapter six:

****About two months after Percy had gone missing, Annabeth was just an inch away from having a nervous-breakdown.  
She had done everything she could to find him: spent hundreds of golden drachmas and asked just about any demigod, creature or whatever she knew who might've been able to help, but no one knew anything about Percy, or had contacted him.  
Then, after Leo, Jason and Piper came back from their quest, Annabeth had found out the truth about where Percy had gone:

He was at Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood, and he probably couldn't remember a thing about himself, if he was still alive that is.  
If possible, knowing what had happened to her boyfriend was even worse than speculating.  
Because now, Annabeth had to face the fact that one, the Romans might have simply killed Percy on sight (though she refused to believe that) and two, that Percy, like Jason, had no memory of Camp Half-Blood, his life, the things they'd gone through together, and of her, at all.  
Every time Annabeth thought of this, and that was about twenty four hours a day, she felt like her heart was being wrenched out.  
Percy didn't know who she was. He probably couldn't remember their first kiss, or the underwater one, or all the happy moments they'd shared.  
And neither did he know of all the bad stuff they'd gone through together, like bearing the weight of the sky or battling Kronos in New York.  
At the moment, Annabeth might as well be a total stranger to him, and that thought tore her up.  
She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't even walk through camp without seeing a million things that reminded her of her Seaweed Brain, and she couldn't talk about this to anyone.  
She didn't want to seem weak, so she put on a brave face during the day, or tried to at least, and went about her business, throwing herself into planing their trip to the ancient lands and helping Leo build the Argo II.  
The ship was Annabeth's only hope, and she was almost insanely eager that it got finished.  
If they finished the ship, they would be able to fly to the Roman Camp, and then she'd see him again.  
But at night, when Annabeth lay in her bed listening to the snores of her siblings, the doubts came.  
What if Percy wasn't with the Romans anymore when they got there?  
What if, worse, he was but he still couldn't remember his old life and didn't want to return to them?  
What if he had found a new girlfriend, like Jason, and wasn't interested in being with Annabeth anymore?  
Annabeth knew Jason wasn't to blame for falling for Piper, but she didn't think she'd be able to cope if Percy had fallen in love with someone else.  
He was _her _Seaweed Brain, and she wouldn't let anybody else have him.  
Annabeth couldn't remember ever crying more than during the past two months.  
Her feelings were just so intense, they had grown a hundred times since she'd been separated from Percy.  
She hated Hera for doing this to them, for not even allowing them a break longer than a few months between saving the world for the first and the second time.  
Why her, why her boyfriend, why couldn't somebody else to the job this time?!  
All Annabeth wanted was Percy back, so she could tell him how much she loved him, how much she needed him and that he could never leave her again.  
And then there were the times she couldn't help but picture Percy, alone and without any idea who he was, surrounded by enemies, not knowing if anyone was missing him.  
It broke her heart to think of him like that.  
One day, a week ago, Annabeth had gone down to the ocean.  
She hadn't been sure exactly why she had, as the ocean was about the most painful place to be at the moment, with its salty breeze and the ocean that had the exact same colour as Percy's eyes.  
But somehow, she'd had the inexplicably urge to go, just to smell a comforting smell, feel the breeze in her hair, hear the sound of the sea gulls crying over head.  
For hours, she had simply sat there, staring at the horizon, not feeling cold or hungry, only wishing that Percy was there beside her.  
Then, as sometimes happened, she'd felt a rush of anger at the gods and had leapt up, screaming at the heavens:  
"Why did you take him away?! Why him!? There are other demigods out there as well, you know! Why did it have to be him?!" she had yelled so loudly, the sea birds had flown away in fright, and the anger had left Annabeth as quickly as it had come. She had sunk down to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, the now-worn photograph of her and Percy clutched in her shaking hands.  
"Come back." she had whispered, as a single tear had landed right where Percy was holding her in the picture.  
"Please come back..." 


	8. Chapter 7

**Good news! _This _is actually the second to last chapter of this story, so watch out for the last one coming tomorrow. Thank you soo much for all the reviews, they are amazing, just the same as you all are :) A special thanks to _Hunter of Artemis 140 _for all her kind and generous ones!  
Hope you enjoy, read & review!  
I don't own anything, even though I'd love to...  
~thegirlwiththetrident**

Chapter seven:

A small scream escaped Annabeth's mouth when Leo finally informed her that the Argo II would be ready to sail in a few days.  
Her eyes teared up, but she didn't care, because the happiness and fear she felt at the moment were too overwhelming.  
She would be seeing Percy again.  
After months of loneliness, of pain and heart-wrenching memories, it wouldn't be long until she could hold him.  
But first, there were a few things to be done:  
They thought Tyson was very near to where Percy was, but in order to find him, Percy needed to stay put. And no one knew better than Annabeth that that wasn't something he was particularly good at.  
So, they had to send him a message, which might prove to be difficult. IM's still didn't work and for a few day they were at a loss as to how to contact Percy.  
Then, Grover arrived one evening and he had some very good news: his empathy link with Percy was getting stronger, and he said he thought they'd might be able to send him a dream message.  
"What exactly do you mean, we?" Annabeth asked her friend, gnawing nervously on her lower lip.  
"Well, I've learnt a bit in the past few years and I think it might be possible for me to, say, take you with me"  
"Into the dream?" Annabeth couldn't quite believe it. Was it possible she would be speaking to Percy _tonight_?  
"Yes, but Annabeth" Grover's voice sounded like a warning "Just remember that the connection won't be very good and the dream probably won't last very long, so you need to tell him what's important, okay?"  
Annabeth knew Grover was right of course, but it would be very difficult. After months of being apart there was so much she wanted to say, so much she _needed _to say.  
Yet she'd have to wait. "Okay." she agreed, and Grover looked slightly relieved.  
Then he started to say  
"I just hope he remem-" but broke off, looking at her, horrified at what had just slipped out.  
Annabeth knew what Grover had been about to say. _I just hope he remembers us_.  
The prospect seemed so absurd, that Percy might not recognise her or Grover, his two best friends.  
But Annabeth knew just too well that it was possible and it was all she could do not to start crying right then and there. Get a grip on yourself! She thought, blinking so Grover wouldn't notice.  
"Okay" the satyr said, his stare very intent.  
"We need to tell him that Tyson is nearly there. We need to tell him to stay put, no matter what okay? And, even though the link is stronger again...this might not work."  
"All right." Annabeth breathed in deeply, taking the hand Grover was offering and closed her eyes.  
"Just remember, concentrate as much as you can on Percy."  
Well, that wouldn't be too difficult, Annabeth thought, wryly.  
She did so, picturing her boyfriend before her inner eye, his sea green eyes, his troublemaker smile she loved so much, the way his hair was messy from a sea breeze, his strong arms, the feel of his lips on hers...  
And then, slowly, a tingling sensation started in the hand that was holding Grover's, and crept up her arm, spreading through her whole body. She felt like she was dreaming, but also wide awake, able to control what she thought and said. Still not able to see anything, she got nervous, thinking _What if this doesn't work? _  
But then, her vision cleared and before her she saw a very, _very _familiar face.  
Seaweed Brain.  
They seemed to be running next to each other, and Annabeth couldn't quite reach him.  
For a second she was too overwhelmed to speak, then the first words she could think of came spilling out of her mouth  
"Thank the gods!" she called, as Percy's face looked at her with an awful mix of emotions. He seemed sad, happy, confused and hopeful all at once, and Annabeth just wanted to reach out and hold him.  
"For months and months we couldn't see you! Are you all right?"  
Her voice was ripped away in the wind billowing around them as they ran next to each other, but she knew Percy had heard.  
She needed him to say yes, to tell her that he was all right, that he was waiting for her to come for him.  
But instead Percy asked, with more confusion on his face "Are you real?"  
Annabeth had to stifle a sob. This was not the reaction she had been hoping for.  
But then she realised that the vision was already fading, and she still hadn't said the important things.  
"Stay put! It'll be easier for Tyson to find you! Stay where you are!"  
The last thing she saw before she was ripped out of the dream was Percy's confused and fearful face, which etched itself into her memory.  
"Annabeth!" A voice called. For a second she thought it would be Percy, but then she registered it was actually Grover, helping her up.  
"I'm okay." she told the satyr. It was a lie.  
"What did you-" her friend started to say but Annabeth cut him off.  
"I'm sorry, Grover. I- I just need a bit - " she didn't know what she needed exactly, but Grover understood her anyway.  
"I'll leave you alone for a bit."he smiled at her a little sadly and left, with Annabeth saying  
"Thanks, Goat boy." after him.

When he had disappeared, Annabeth let her tears fall, but they were silent ones.  
Why was she crying? She had just spoken to Percy, for the first time in _months_.  
But she just couldn't help but fear what he had said. Was _Are you real? _the same as _Who are you?_.  
She didn't know. She didn't want to find out.  
Please, Annabeth found herself praying, to whom she wasn't sure. Anybody who would listen, she guessed. Please let me find him soon. Please let him remember me. Please.  
Just then, a soft wind blew across her cheek, as if trying to stroke the tears away.  
Annabeth wasn't sure if she had just imagined it, or if the wind had actually carried a tinge of salt on it.  
Was it a sign of the gods?  
Whatever it was, Annabeth felt grateful.  
She wiped the tracks of her face and turned to follow Grover, ready to tell him everything she'd seen.

Unnoticed by the retreating girl, the wind continued to blow around for a bit, whistling through the trees, making a little sad, but also a little hopeful sound, as if it knew that things were about to change... 


	9. Chapter 8

**So, here it is: The last chapter of the story you are currently reading.  
I'm quite sad to be finishing this, but I have some other stories I really want to work on, and I hope you guys will read, enjoy (and maybe even review ;) ) those stories as well.  
I'd like to thank every single person who's reviewed "The Disappearance" , you gave me the confidence to continue this and made me smile so much :)  
All right, I'll stop being all soppy now...  
Enjoy this last one, folks!  
~thegirlwiththetrident  
(I still don't own anything)**

Chapter eight****

Not long after the dream conversation she'd shared with Percy, Annabeth started having nightmares again.  
They had gotten better at some point, when Annabeth had found out where Percy was, and that they had a way of reaching him, but now they had returned, and about ten times worse.  
One night, after she'd just seen Percy being murdered by savage Romans, she woke up and was too afraid to go back to sleep.  
She really didn't want to dream anymore. She wanted to see and feel nothing, just for a bit.  
But the Athena cabin suddenly felt too stuffy, too full of books and, well, _thoughts_, so that she had the immense desire to get out of bed and sleep somewhere else.  
Without even properly thinking it through, Annabeth got up, walked to the door and slipped out, as quiet as an owl flying in the night.  
Her feet carried her across the ground and over to the gods' side of the cabins.  
One of them seemed to glow in a welcoming light, as if inviting Annabeth to come in.  
Although she knew, in some part of her mind, that going into a cabin that wasn't yours could get you pulverised quite easily, she didn't care. It just felt like the right thing to do.  
Once inside, Annabeth walked over to the bed she knew so well, having watched a certain someone sleep in it often enough, just before she'd woken him up.  
She half expected him to be there, just because she was so used to it.  
But, the same as every other time she'd visited this cabin in the past few months, Annabeth was disappointed.  
Yet she didn't dwell on this for too long, instead she slithered in between the covers and curled into a warm ball.  
His scent still seemed to linger on the sheets, and Annabeth sighed contently as she breathed in deeply.  
She knew, she was absolutely certain, that she would have no more nightmares tonight.  
And she was right.

_

"Annabeth?" an incredulous but relieved voice woke her the next morning.  
She jumped, and promptly fell out of bed.  
"Leo!" she yelled, scrambling back into the bunk and covering herself up with the blanket. "What are you doing here?"  
"I was looking for you!" Leo answered, slightly affronted. "When you weren't in your cabin, we thought for a minute that you'd disappeared, too!" his voice had a trace of fear in it, and Annabeth instantly felt guilty.  
"I'm sorry" she mumbled, turning pink "I couldn't sleep, so I..." her voice trailed off but Leo seemed to understand.  
"Okay." he said. "  
"So, why were you looking for me anyway?" Annabeth tried to break the awkward silence.  
"Well, there was something I wanted to tell you" he answered, the devilish grin he always wore back on his face. "But honestly I can't remember what it was..."  
"Valdez!" Annabeth snapped. She didn't appreciate Leo's little games, especially not when she was like this.  
"All right, all right" Leo raised his hands in surrender "Don't bite my head off!"  
"I won't if you tell me why you were looking for me!"  
"Fine, I was looking for you because I wanted to tell you" he put on a mock thinking expression but continued hurriedly when Annabeth glared at him. "Oh yeah! I wanted to tell you that the Argo II is ready for take-off. We're leaving today."  
With that he swept out, as if scared Annabeth might change her mind about not biting his head off.  
But Annabeth did nothing of the sort. She simply sat there, completely stunned.  
Was Leo being serious? Was the moment she'd been waiting for so desperately for all these months about to come true?  
And then it clicked and she sprang out off bed, a huge grin on her face. Racing back to her cabin, Annabeth could have cried she was so happy.

About an hour or so later, Piper, Jason, Leo , Coach Hedge (their "adult" supervisor) and herself were standing in front of the huge war ship, saying goodbye to everyone.  
All Annabeth could do was smile, even as Chiron warned her to be careful.  
But she wasn't listening. Her mind was full of one thought, and one thought only: _I'm going to see Percy again.  
_  
Later, as she stood on the deck of the Argo II, miles above the ground and her hair blowing wildly around her face, nothing seemed to matter to Annabeth anymore. It was as if she'd left all of her fears and doubts below on the ground, and could only think of the long awaited reunion that lay so shortly ahead.  
Just then a saying she knew popped into her head:

_Home is where the heart is._

_Well, if that's true_, she thought, smiling to herself,

_then I'm about to go home. _


End file.
